Verde launches P4G shareholder earnings strategy BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil, Jan. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verde AgriTech Plc (TSX: “NPK”) (OTCQB: “AMHPF”) (“Verde” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce its Paid for Growth (“P4G”) strategy, a cornerstone program aimed at distributing gains to shareholders as a result of the Company's continued accelerated market expansion. This will be possible thanks to the availability of a transformative source of funding secured by the Company. Previously, financing could only be secured by invoice discounting or guaranteed by capital goods, now Verde's future sales contracts are accepted as debt collateral.
The Company also communicates an expansion to its Cultivando Amor program, a charitable initiative aimed at supporting local rural communities.
“In Brazil, no other bank has financed more harvests than Banco do Brasil. In 2020 alone, it financed Brazil’s agriculture to the tune of R$ 191 billion. It is therefore fitting that the bank step up to provide this important credit facility to Verde, thereby helping fuel the accelerating production of our potash rich multinutrient fertilizer that will be vital for countless more harvests in our country,” affirmed Dr. Alysson Paolinelli, former Brazilian minister of agriculture, recipient of the World Food Prize and member of Verde's Board of Directors.
Banco do Brasil S.A. (“BB”) has granted to Verde a line of credit through Agribusiness Certificate of Credit Rights (“CDCA”, from Certificado de Direitos Creditrios do Agronegcio). A CDCA is a financial instrument used by established Brazilian agricultural businesses, it is a freely traded credit bond that represents expected cash payments originating from farmers and third parties. Its issuance and use are limited to the agricultural sector, be it farming production and processing, or industrialized farming inputs and machinery. CDCA is only granted to producers of broadly traded and accepted commodities and goods.
Verde's loan is for a term of 36 months with an interest rate of CDI (based on SELIC, the Brazilian Central Bank overnight rate) + 2.92% per annum, with a 6 months grace period. The guarantee of the operations are future sales contract with Verde. The first loan was for R$10 million.
The financing was granted by BB after thorough due diligence that included an evaluation of Verde's historical market and sales performance, seeing that the credit arrangement recognizes future sales contracts as collateral, with no further pre-conditions for its execution and grant.
The funds raised through this new loan modality will be used for accelerated expansion. Consequently, Verde will free up its earnings and re-finance its growth based on an expanding credit line proportional to its required growth capital investment and forecasted sales. This can be done so long as there is an upwards trajectory for production because then future sales are expected to continuously outstrip current production.
“I am proud to have started my formal work career at Banco do Brasil, at the age of 18, and grateful for everything I learned during that experience. Today, it is therefore exciting to see the bank playing a key role in helping Brazilian farmers to retake control by financing Verde, Brazil’s largest potash mine.
It is crippling for our country to rely on imports for 96% of our potash needs. Given Brazil’s role as the world’s largest food exporter, it is equally worrying to think that the bread basket of the World would succumb without three distant sources of potash: Canada, Russia and Belarus, which jointly account for around 80% of all global potash sales.
Debt funding alongside accumulated cashflow has been and will continue to be the preferred route to accelerate Verde's growth even more, especially now in light of Banco do Brasil's transformative financing structure,” commented Verde’s Founder, President & CEO Cristiano Veloso.
PAID FOR GROWTH AND CULTIVANDO AMOR
Verde's P4G was launched by the Company to enable it to distribute earnings to shareholders, while expanding production. P4G is being engineered in detail so that it can make the most of the Company's potential earnings without compromising its accelerated growth strategy.
As it returns gains to its shareholders, Verde will also expand its ongoing Cultivando Amor program. This is a charitable initiative in which the Company sits down with local rural communities located in the region of its operations and market to jointly select commendable social projects and charitable institutions to be supported.
“It has been nearly 17 years since we founded Verde. I am ever thankful to several shareholders who have patiently supported us along the nearly two decades of development. We hope that today’s announcement will motivate all shareholders to support Verde for decades to come while earning their well-deserved share of our success.
It was never easy to implement our non-dilutive strategy over so many years, but we are proud to reach our 17th year as a profitable company with an outstanding share count not too different from day one of our 2007 IPO,” concluded Mr. Veloso.
https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2022/01/24/2371462/0/en/Verde-launches-P4G-shareholder-earnings-strategy-after-securing-Banco-do-Brasil-financing-backed-by-future-sales-contracts.html